


Re-

by mithrel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blanket Permission, Other, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-12
Updated: 2010-11-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 13:06:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/357121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel gets tired of Sam angsting every November, so he brings Jess back.  AU from 5x08, but based on canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reformatted

**Author's Note:**

> This is entirely pinkosicko and sephirothflame’s fault. Thanks to sycophantastic for looking it over.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel gets tired of Sam angsting every November. AU from 5x08, but based on canon

Gabriel rolls his eyes. Sam always gets insufferable starting around mid-October and doesn’t get over himself until Christmas. He’s sick of it. “Come on, it’s been what? Eight years now?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sam says miserably. “You wouldn’t get it.”

Gabriel barely bites back a comment at that. He’s immortal after all, and Sam’s not the first human he’s gotten involved with. He does what he usually does and goes out somewhere.

***

It’s been three years since Gabriel threw in with Team Free Will, three years since they sealed Lucifer back in his cage. Three years since Sam and Dean decided to settle down and let someone else save the world next time.

Sam had gone back to law school, and now he was doing his internship. Dean had gotten a job as a mechanic and he and Cas lived in the same complex.

And every year when the anniversary of Jess’ death comes around Sam withdraws and broods. It’s insulting. Plus Gabriel doesn’t get laid for two months out of the year, which is unacceptable.

And it doesn’t look like it’s gonna change any time soon. So Gabriel decides to do something about it, for his own sanity.

***

Sam fumbles the door to the apartment open, exhausted. After decades of hunting you’d think he could handle an internship, but…

He freezes as something stirs in the dark and gropes for a knife, instincts still sharp even after three years of inactivity.

He flicks on the light and freezes as someone unfolds themself from the couch, the knife clattering to the kitchen floor.

“Sam?” Jess blinks at him. “What’s wrong?”

Jess. Looking just like she had the night Dean broke into their house all those years ago. Sam’s first impulse is to find something iron, but he can’t. Ghost or not, it’s _Jess,_ and he can’t move from where he’s standing.

“Sam? What’s going on? This isn’t our house.”

He opens his mouth, closes it, then manages, “No. It’s not.”

“Sam? What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Sam fights down a hysterical laugh, and picks up the knife again.

Jess shrinks away from him.

“Do you trust me?”

Jess hesitates, then nods.

He takes her arm and presses the flat of the blade against it.

No reaction.

So she’s not a ghost. But she could be a shifter, or a djinn could have caught him somehow. These last three years could have been a hallucination.

“Sam? Sam, you’re scaring me!”

“I’m sorry.” The guilt that he can never seem to shed rears up again and he collapses on the couch. “I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry!”

Jess pats his back uncertainly. “It’s not that big a deal, Sam, calm down.”

She doesn’t know she's dead. He suddenly remembers the zombies that Death raised. _Please God, no._ He couldn’t kill Jess. Not when he was the reason she died in the first place…

“Sam? What’s going on?”

“I…there’s a lot you don’t know about me. And so much has happened since…” But he can’t tell her. She wouldn’t believe him. Where the hell is Gabriel? He’d know how to deal with this.

As if the thought had summoned him there’s the sound of another key in the lock and Gabriel comes into the apartment. “Hey–whoa.” He stares at Sam on the couch, tears on his face, Jess hovering uncertainly near him. He snorts. “Jeez, Sammy. I’d have thought this’d be a joyful reunion, not grounds for more angst.”

“W-what?”

Gabriel snorts. “After I went to all this trouble, I’d think the least you could do is thank me!”

Sam freezes again. “Wait. _You_ did this?”

“Who else would have done it?”

“I…I thought…” But he doesn’t want to talk about ghosts or shifters in front of Jess.

“Excuse me for being rude, but who the hell are you?” Jess pipes up.

Sam looks at Jess, trying to think of what to say. “He’s, um…” He can’t tell her the truth. Any part of the truth.

“I’m Sam’s roommate,” Gabriel grins.

Sam winces.

And sure enough… “I don’t think so, buddy! Sam lives with me!”

Sam slumps against the back of the couch. He’s gonna have to tell her. Even if it means she thinks he’s insane and leaves. “I used to live with you.”

“What?”

“This is gonna come as a shock, but…it’s not 2005. It’s 2013.”

Jess stares at him. “That’s impossible!”

Sam opens his bag and hands her his laptop. “See for yourself.”

Ten minutes later she closes the laptop, looking shaken. “But how could I have lost that much time?”

“It’s a long story,” Sam says.

Her eyes flash with the fire he remembers. “I don’t care if it’s the freaking encyclopedia! Tell me what happened!”

“You remember when my brother broke into the house? And he said Dad was on a hunting trip and hadn’t come home?”

“Yeah,” Jess says slowly.

“He wasn’t hunting deer or bear or anything like that.”

Her brow furrows. “What else is there?”

“Demons, for one,” Gabriel puts in when Sam doesn’t say anything.

“ _Demons?_ ” Jess repeats on an incredulous laugh.

“Yeah, demons. Sam ever tell you about his mother?”

Sam shoots Gabriel a glare and he shuts up.

Jess looks back at him. “You told me she died in a fire.”

Sam sighs. “Yeah. But the fire was caused by a demon. He pinned her to the ceiling and burned her alive.”

“B-but that’s crazy!”

“It’s true,” Gabriel says.

“Dad got obsessed with finding the thing that killed her. He became a hunter, raised Dean and me to be hunters too.”

Jess shakes her head. “I don’t believe any of this!”

“Honestly? I don’t blame you. I hated hunting, wanted out of that life. When I got a full ride to Stanford I jumped at the chance.”

“Why did you never tell me?”

“I wanted to, but…that was the thing Dad insisted on the most. Don’t tell anyone about hunting.”

“So you’re back now? You found him?”

“I…yeah I did, but…I came back that Sunday. You were…” he swallows. “You were on the ceiling. Burning. Just like Mom. Dean came back, pulled me out, but…” He squeezes his eyes shut. “God, Jess, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

“After you died, Sam went back to hunting,” Gabriel says softly.

“I…no, this is impossible!” Jess says, pacing across the room and back. “You’re insane and you’ve dragged Sam into whatever bizarre alternate reality you live in!”

“And the missing eight years?” Gabriel asks.

“I…don’t know, but there has to be some other explanation!”

“There isn’t. You died and I brought you back.”

“Yeah, sure! Just snapped your fingers and brought me back from the dead!”

“Yep!” Gabriel grins.

Sam sighs as Jess’ expression gets even stormier. “He did.”

“ _How?_ ”

“He’s an archangel.”

“Bullshit,” Jess snaps

Gabriel grins. “I like her.”

Great. As if Jess didn’t have enough to be pissed about, now Gabriel’s talking about her like she isn’t there.

“If you’re an archangel, why aren’t you in heaven?”

Gabriel snorts. “What fun is that?”

“Prove it,” Jess says, hands on her hips.

“Not a good idea if you want to keep your eyes.”

“Oh, that’s convenient! You’re insane and you’ve got Sam brainwashed!”

Sam decides to intervene before things get any more out of control. “Jess. Please. I’m not crazy. It’s all true. You died and Gabriel brought you back.”

“Why? Why is he even here?”

Sam doesn’t answer. He can’t tell her about the Apocalypse, can’t tell her he and Gabriel are together now. Why the hell had Gabriel done this? Now he’s stuck. He loved Jess, but he loves Gabriel too.

“I brought you back because every November Sam dyes his hair black, listens to My Chemical Romance and cries.”

“I do not!” Sam says indignantly.

“You do so! You’re not exactly Pollyanna most of the year, but November? I can’t even be in the same house as you!”

“But why are you? In the same house as him?” Jess asks. “Assuming you are an archangel, which I don’t for one moment believe, why are you here?”

Gabriel shrugs. “After I helped stop the Apocalypse I decided to take a vacation.”

“The _Apocalypse?!_ ”

Sam’s going to kill him. He doesn’t know how, but he’ll find a way.

“Yeah, like that worked before,” Gabriel snorts.

“What?”

Sam groans mentally. He doesn’t see how this could…no he’s not going to even think that. The moment he does the laws of the universe will prove him wrong, and things are bad enough as it is.

“The Apocalypse,” Jess prompts him.

So Sam does his best to summarize. How he died when they were going after the demon, and Dean made a deal to save him. How they couldn’t find a way out of it, so Dean got dragged to Hell.

He has to take a moment to get control of himself before telling her how Dean was tortured until he broke, how that broke the first seal on Lucifer’s prison. How Cas resurrected him.

He stops again after that, since he doesn’t want to get into Ruby and Lilith and the demon blood. Gabriel picks up the narrative.

“I’d met them before. I was masquerading as a Trickster-god. I tried to get Sam to accept the fact that Dean was going to Hell, but he wouldn’t. He was obsessed with getting revenge. So he started drinking demon blood, to get enough power to kill Lilith.”

“And when I killed her, it turned out she was the final seal. I started the Apocalypse,” Sam says hollowly.

Jess sags onto the other side of the couch, as if her legs will no longer support her. She doesn’t touch Sam, doesn’t look at him. He feels sick.

“They tried to get my help against Lucifer,” Gabriel says. “Blew my cover in the process. A millennium on the lam and I get made by Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.” He snorts. “I didn’t help them then, but I did later. Long story short, we sent Luci back to his room.”

That’s nowhere near everything that happened, but it’s more than enough. Jess is huddled in on herself, her face buried in her knees. “You started the Apocalypse.” Her voice is flat, shell-shocked.

They shouldn’t have piled so much on her at once. “You can sleep here tonight, then tomorrow I’ll see about getting you a new identity. I still know some people.”

She looks up at that. “What?”

“Jessica Moore is dead. Died in the fire. We need to get you a cover.”

“What if I don’t want a cover?” Jess snaps.

“W-what?”

“I supposedly come back from the dead to find out my boyfriend is either nuts or some kinda Van Helsing wannabe–“

Gabriel snorts.

“–who apparently almost ended the world and lives with a midget with delusions of grandeur!”

Gabriel scowls at her.

“So forgive me if I want a more complete explanation!” Jess finishes.

Sam swallows and nods. “Jess, there’s…there’s one more thing you need to know.”

She looks at him with a dangerous expression, then, when he doesn’t continue, says, “ _Well?_ ”

Sam opens his mouth and nothing comes out. He literally cannot tell her he’s with Gabriel. She doesn’t remember any of the intervening time, doesn’t know everything he’s been through, what Gabriel had done for him…

“What Sammy here is trying to say is that he’s with me now,” Gabriel drawls.

“He’s _what?_ ”

Sam cringes. “Jess, it’s not–”

“Like hell it isn’t!” she yells.

“You were dead for years! I moved on with my life!”

“Oh, well, that’s alright then!” she says, as Sam winces again. “So why bring me back if you’re so happy?”

“It wasn’t my idea! I didn’t even know about it!” And, Jesus, he’s apparently unable to close his mouth because his foot is shoved so far into it.

“I see,” Jess says, her voice quiet and deadly. “In that case, maybe I will leave and let you ‘move on with your life.’”

He grabs her hand as she gets up from the couch. “Jess. I was a wreck when you died. I had nightmares for months.” Sam blinks back more tears and says, “I was gonna propose. Went shopping for rings and everything.”

That stops her. “You did?”

“Yeah. Gabriel might have brought you back without telling me,” he shoots a glare at Gabriel, who smiles sweetly and says “You’re welcome.”

“But I’m glad he did.”

“But if you two are together–” Jess starts.

“Hey, I’m willing to share,” Gabriel grins. “And you’re not too bad yourself.”

Sam freezes, waiting for another explosion, but Jess only gives Gabriel a considering look, then nods. “OK.”

“But…wha-”

Jess looks at him again. “But for God’s sake, Sam, cut your hair! You used to be cute. Now you look like a mop!”  



	2. Redefined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He always saw himself in a monogamous relationship, not…whatever the hell this thing they’re proposing is.

A few days after Gabriel brought Jess back there’s a knock on the door, and Jess answers it before Sam can warn her not to.

Dean takes one look at her and goes for his knife.

Jess screams and runs to hide behind him as Sam wrestles his brother down. “Dean! Dean, it’s OK!”

“OK? She’s a ghost!” Dean snarls, trying to break free so he can go for Jess again.

“She’s not! Dean, calm down and let me explain!”

Dean reluctantly puts the knife away and Sam goes to stand next to Jess. “What is she doing here?”

“She’s back. And, before you say anything, I tested her already.”

“How do I know _you’re_ not possessed?” Dean shoots back.

Sam sighs.

***

Fifteen minutes later, after they’ve submitted to a battery of tests to make sure they’re not possessed (in Sam’s case) or a ghost, shifter or other nasty (in Jess’ case), Dean steps back somewhat sheepishly. “So, uh, nice to see you again.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Jess says from where she’s standing next to Sam, rubbing her arms nervously.

“Yeah, about that…”

“Don’t bother. I know everything.”

Dean’s eyebrows shoot up. “Everything?”

“Well, everything important,” Sam says. Gabriel told Jess about the demon blood, and he knows she wants to know more, but he can’t bear to tell her about Ruby and just how low he’d sunk.

“I know I apparently missed the Apocalypse.”

Dean winces, “Yeah, everything important.” He looks at Sam. “Can I talk to you?”

Sam pulls Jess closer, in an echo of all those years ago. “Whatever you wanna say, you can say it in front of her.”

He sees by Dean’s expression that he remembers too, but rather than talking around the subject he gets straight to the point. “You said she was back. How is she back? I mean, that doesn’t just–”

“Gabriel brought her back.”

Dean’s eyebrows go up again. “What? Why…on second thought, never mind, I don’t wanna know. But does she…” He trails off, gesturing helplessly.

“Know that my boyfriend is currently shacked up with an archangel?” Jess asks sweetly. “Yes.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

Sam coughs. “They’ve apparently decided to, um…share.”

Dean stares at him for a moment, then cracks up, bending over to put his hands on his knees. Sam scowls at him.

It takes five minutes for Dean to get control of himself. “Oh dude, you are so screwed!”

Sam scowls at him again. Because that’s the thing. It was Jess and Gabriel who decided to share, and Sam’s agreement was assumed.

But he’s not sure he wants to share. So it makes it awkward when Jess kisses him when Gabriel’s in the room, to say nothing of when Gabriel grabs his ass in front of Jess. He loves them both, but he always saw himself in a monogamous relationship, not…whatever the hell this thing they’re proposing is. He’s not quite sure how to deal with it.

Dean leaves a few minutes later, still chuckling, and Sam sighs.

***

Jess comes up to Gabriel when he’s flipping idly through a copy of _Weekly World News_ (for old times’ sake, he’d said when Sam bitched at him) and starts rubbing his shoulders. “Mmm,” he hums, putting the magazine down. “What’s on your mind, gorgeous?”

Jess pouts. “Sam’s being difficult.”

Gabriel snorts. “When isn’t he?”

That gets a reluctant smile out of her. “Seriously, though. You’ve seen him.”

Gabriel nods. “But what are we gonna do about it?”

Jess’ smile turns evil. “This calls for drastic measures.”

Gabriel feels an answering grin spread across his face. “Such as?”

“We need to double-team him.”

His grin gets wider. “I like the way you think.”

***

Sam is sitting on his laptop a few weeks later when Jess pulls him up and kisses him. It’s a nice kiss, but he stiffens and pulls away, shooting a look over his shoulder to where Gabriel had been sitting.

Had been. Because now he’s standing pressed up against Sam.

Sam shudders as Gabriel licks up his neck. “Gabriel…”

“What? We agreed we were gonna share.”

“No, _you_ agreed we were gonna share,” Sam says, turning around to face him. “I never did!”

Jess has her hands up under his shirt stroking his back, but he refuses to be distracted. It gets harder when she puts her hands in his pockets and squeezes his ass. She tugs on his earlobe with her teeth as Gabriel licks at his collarbone, and breathes in his ear, “It’s your decision, Sam. We’re not gonna force you into anything.”

And then they both back off. Sam’s breathing hard, and he wants it, _God,_ he wants it. He’s wanted to be with Jess again almost since the moment she got back, but he can’t do this. Not with only one of them. It wouldn’t be fair. And he can’t do it with both…

They’re waiting for his answer, and he can’t admit he wants it, can’t _say_ it. So he just reaches out and crushes Jess to him, and pulls Gabriel against his hip with the other hand.

Gabriel grins. “Bed?”

Jess nods. “Bed.”

Sam is more or less herded into the bedroom, not that he minds. The sleeping arrangements had been awkward since Jess got back. They don’t have room for another bed, and Jess had said she’d sleep on the couch, which didn’t seem right, but she didn’t seem to mind. She usually ended up curled between them most mornings anyway. Sam had woken up a week ago to find them making out. The hot _something_ that had gone through him at the sight had been pure jealousy. There hadn’t been any lust mixed in. At all.

Now, though, Jess pushes him down on the bed and straddles him, leaning up to kiss him. He kisses back, then pulls away to tug her T-shirt off. She gets his off at the same time. Then he goes back to kissing her, but she breaks off after only a moment with a gasped “ _Gabriel!_ ”

Gabriel’s behind her, cupping her breasts through her bra, his thumbs stroking over her nipples. Jess grinds against Sam and he feels a hot flash of rage. Jess is _his,_ Gabriel shouldn’t be touching her like that!

Gabriel sees the expressing on his face and moves his hands away. He unclasps Jess’ bra and goes to sit on the edge of the bed to toe off his shoes and take off his jacket and shirt.

Sam draws her bra off and leans down to suck a nipple into his mouth. Jess gasps and her fingers wind into his hair, shorter now than it has been in nearly a decade.

Sam feels Gabriel settle behind him, his cock a hard length against his ass, and bite at the top of his spine.

Sam pulls away from Jess, wishing it was skin-on-skin. He’s almost at the perfect angle to–

And abruptly it is skin-on-skin. Sam blinks, then remembers. Gabriel has angel mojo, and he can read minds. Normally he’d be pissed that Gabriel was snooping in his head, but now…

“You’re welcome.”

“Condom,” Sam says.

“We don’t need–”

Sam glares at him as best he can over his shoulder, and Gabriel shuts up. He’d always insisted on condoms before, and he’s sure as hell going to now.

Gabriel sighs and snaps his fingers, and condoms and lube appear on the bed next to them.

Jess takes out one of the condoms, moves back slightly and rolls it onto him.

Sam’s going to pull her back into his lap, but Gabriel pushes him down on his side. Jess lies down next to him and he slides into her. It’s perfect, like he’s been freezing for eight years and he’s suddenly in a room with a roaring fire. “Missed you,” he whispers, stroking a thumb along her cheek, trying to keep from crying.

Jess kisses him softly. “I love you.”

He’s distracted by Gabriel pushing a slick finger into him. He thrusts forward by reflex and Jess gasps, then pushes back.

“Enough with the maudlin shit. We’re supposed to be fucking already.”

Sam’s laugh turns into a groan as Gabriel hits his prostate.

His senses go on overload. Gabriel’s fingers inside him, Jess around him…he’s going to embarrass himself at this rate.

“Relax, Sammy,” Gabriel whispers, slipping another finger in. “You won’t come until I want you to.”

He outright _shivers_ at that. He’s been on the receiving end of Gabriel’s teasing more than once, and barely survived the experience.

Sam’s ready, he knows he’s ready, but Gabriel doesn’t seem to think so. He shoves forward into Jess, and back against Gabriel. “God, Gabriel, please!”

Gabriel’s thumbs dig warningly into his hips. Gabriel puts up with a lot, but the one thing he won’t tolerate is blasphemy.

But Gabriel removes his fingers and pushes in and Sam freezes for a moment. Jess’ hands come up to his shoulders, urging him to move, but he holds still.

When he relaxes slightly, Gabriel pulls out and shoves back in, pushing Sam forward onto Jess.  
Sam’s brain shuts down, and he lets them take control of the rhythm, Gabriel hitting his prostate unerringly with every stroke, Jess spasming around him as she gets closer to orgasm.

His hands move aimlessly, over Jess’ sides, her shoulders, reaching back to grab Gabriel’s hip. He’s close, and he figures it will only be a few seconds before he comes.

Jess lets out a long, shuddering groan, every muscle in her body tensing before going utterly limp.

When she clenches around him, Sam comes too, his hands digging into her shoulders, spots dancing in front of his eyes. Gabriel thrusts a couple more times, then gasps, “ _Fuck!_ ” and Sam feels him pulsing inside him.

He lies there for a long moment, trying to get enough blood back to his brain so it can function. He dimly feels Gabriel and Jess disengaging from him. He finally manages an exhausted “Fuck.”

“So, good idea to share?” Jess asks him, an impish twinkle in her eye.

Sam laughs weakly. “Definitely.”


	3. Reaffirmation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam wants proof of their relationship.

Sam flips aimlessly through the channels for a few minutes, but nothing interests him. Finally he clicks the TV off and sighs.

“Something wrong?” Jess wants to know.

“No, nothing. I’m fine.”

“Bullshit,” Jess says pleasantly. “You’ve been moping for days. You have no excuse, you know, not with all the sex you’re getting.”

“I have not!” Sam protests, but he knows it’s useless. He could never keep anything from her…well, except for the fact that he’d been a hunter, and even that had been nearly impossible.

Jess crosses her arms and glares at him. “You have. So what’s the problem?”

Sam sighs, but it’s pointless to keep evading. “I don’t want it to be just sex!”

Jess quirks a brow at him. “It isn’t! Gabriel loves you and I love you.”

“What about Gabriel, do you love him?” Sam shoots back.

That stops her, but only for a moment. “Not yet. But I haven’t known him that long.”

“When I said I didn’t want it to be just sex I didn’t mean…” Sam trails off, frustrated, not sure how to explain this without sounding like a pathetic idiot.

Jess sits down on the couch next to him. “So what did you mean?”

“I…was gonna propose, did you know that?” Sam asks. “Before.”

Her eyes widen. “No. I didn’t know.”

Sam flops back on the couch. “But it’s pointless now. I can’t marry you and not Gabriel, and even if there were more than a couple of states that allow gay marriage, polygamy is illegal.”

“So you want to get married to both of us?”

“Yes!” Sam snaps.

“Why?”

“ _Why?_ ” Sam opens his eyes again to stare at her. “You need to _ask?_ ”

“Yeah, I do. Because I think this is more than the usual symbolic thing.”

It is, and Sam’s never been more glad that she gets him as well as she does. It is partly the symbolism, of going through a ritual to affirm what they had, but that’s not all it is.

Most of his life had been marked by change, and most of the change had been negative. Everything had been temporary, transitory. Even after three years he still sometimes thinks he’ll wake up and it will all be a dream, some djinn-induced hallucination. Or else that Gabriel and Jess will finally realize that he’s a monster and leave. If he marries them they’ll have to stay. Not that marriage is any guarantee of permanence, or a happy life–his own parents are proof of that. But it’d be something.

“This…is gonna sound horrible, but I want proof that this is gonna last.” As Jess opens her mouth he cuts her off. “I told you about my life, didn’t I, how we were moving all the time, how I could never make any real friends, have a real relationship?”

She nods.

“Well I’m afraid I still can’t.”

“So if you got married…” Jess begins.

“If I got married there would be proof.”

Jess’ lips part in a silent _ah._ “Have you told Gabriel about this?”

Sam snorts. “Are you kidding? Of course not! Besides, that’s the other problem.”

“What other problem?”

Sam sighs. “You don’t know Gabriel that well. But he’s…he’s flighty. His attention span makes a goldfish look like a Grand Master at chess. He won’t want to get married.”

Jess purses her lips. “I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit. How long have you been together?”

“Three years,” Sam says.

“And before he brought me back, had he had sex with anyone else?”

Sam thinks about it. “I…don’t think so, but how would I know? He could just…” he snaps his fingers, “conjure someone up.”

“You don’t trust him?” Jess asks.

“Of course I trust him!”

“You just think he’s been making his own personal living blow-up dolls, is that it?”

“No!”

“So if he hasn’t been conjuring up sex partners and you haven’t seen him with anyone except me, what makes you think he’s been cheating?”

“I…don’t exactly think he’s been cheating. But he’s going to get tired of me, sooner or later. Maybe that’s why he brought you back. Maybe he was bored.”

Jess buries her face in her arms for a moment, then abruptly smacks him upside the head.

“Ow!” Sam protests, more out of reflex than anything. “What the hell was that for?”

“For being an idiot. For God’s sake, I don’t know how you two managed to stay together this long with your so called ‘communication skills,’” she puts air quotes around the words. “If anything you’ve gotten _worse_ than when I knew you and I didn’t think that was possible.”

Sam scowls at her. “I’m not that bad.”

“Yes you are!” she retorts. “Talk. To. Him.”

“But–”

“Tell him about this,” she threatens, “or I will.”

He stares at her. “You wouldn’t!”

She just gives him a Look.

***

Gabriel comes up to him a few days after that. Sam still hasn’t figured out how to go about bringing up the subject. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Sam replies.

“Jess said you wanted to talk to me?”

Sam blinks. “Uh…I don’t think I do.”

“She said it was important.”

 _Goddamn her._ “She must have misunderstood.”

“Uh-huh,” Gabriel says skeptically.

“Tell him, Sam.”

 _God_ damn _her!_ He looks over to see Jess standing in the doorway, glaring at him.

“Tell me what?” Gabriel asks, looking between the two of them.

Jess makes an _after you_ gesture.

“I…” But he still doesn’t know how to say it.

“Sam wants to get married,” Jess says, as he glares at her. She just crosses her arms, puts her head to the side and leans against the door with a disgusted look on her face. _I warned you._

Gabriel, meanwhile, looks amused and curious. “To who?”

“It’s not important,” Sam mumbles.

“Looks like Jess would disagree,” Gabriel smirks back at him.

“To both of you!” Sam bursts out.

Gabriel nods. “Don’t take this the wrong way, kiddo, but I don’t really want to get married.”

Sam bitchfaces at Jess. _See?_

“Why not?” she asks.

Gabriel shrugs. “It’s kinda pointless.”

Sam opens his mouth, but Gabriel continues hastily, “Not for you, it’s fine for you.”

“Because we’re just humans, you mean?” Sam shoots back.

“It’s…dammit, I’m _trying_ to explain here, so would you shut up and let me?”

Sam shuts up.

“Angels have their own bonding rituals. Compared to them human marriages are…well.”

“What kind of rituals?”

Gabriel goes and sits down on the couch before answering. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s…intimate. And it’s permanent. Once an angel is bonded to another angel, that’s it. There’s no such thing as an angelic divorce.”

“But what is it?” Jess asks, finally coming into the room.

“It’s…like a psychic connection. Angels who are bonded can feel each other’s emotions, and read any thoughts that are emotionally charged. They’re still distinct personalities, have their own thoughts and feelings, but it…changes them. In every way that counts, they’re one person.” Gabriel leans back. “So if you could have that, standing up in front of a guy in a funny hat, saying some words and putting a circle of metal on your finger seems kind of ridiculous.”

“Are you bonded?” Sam asks sharply, suddenly afraid that Gabriel was never really his.

“Me? No.”

Sam breathes an inaudible sigh of relief.

“Could you bond with us?” Jess asks, and Sam freezes. But that’s what he wants, isn’t it, something permanent?

“Honestly? I’m not sure. A bond that’s meant for Grace-to-Grace might not work with a human soul, and it might behave unpredictably. It’s never been done before.”

“But if it was possible, would you want to?” Sam asks.

Gabriel’s been unwontendly serious through this entire conversation, but at that he sobers further. “This isn’t a decision to be made lightly. Like I said, I don’t know how it’ll work. If we do do this, it has to be a unanimous agreement.”

“That’s not what he asked,” Jess says. “Do you want to?”

Gabriel grimaces. “If you two do, I’ll do it.”

That’s not an answer. “I want to,” Sam says immediately.

“Kiddo, take some time to think about it.”

“Fine, I’ll think about it. But I’m not going to change my mind. I want to.”

“You don’t know enough to make an informed decision.”

Sam makes a noncommittal noise, but he’s privately sure. This is exactly what he wanted, without knowing it was possible.

***

Over the next couple weeks Gabriel does his best to answer their questions about angelic bonds. It’s not until some time later that Sam thinks of the obvious question. “How is it done?”

“With two angels they put a mark on each other’s Grace, usually a handprint. The mark is a kind of conduit for the bond.”

“Wait a sec, Dean has a handprint,” Sam says. “From when Cas pulled him outta Hell. Are they…”

Gabriel snorts. “God only knows. But as for if they’re bonded, the answer is no; at least they weren’t the last time I looked. A partial bond was formed when Cas’ Grace came in contact with Dean’s soul, but it’s not complete.”

“So humans can bond with angels,” Jess said.

“Not necessarily. Like I said, it’s not complete. Even if it was completed, it’d probably only be one-way.”

“What does that mean, one-way?”

“In practical terms, nothing. The emotions would still flow both ways. But Dean can’t bond to Castiel.” Gabriel looks at Jess and Sam. “For us though, it does mean something. When three angels bond they all bond to each other, so they end up with a triangle. We can’t do that. It’d be,” he holds up two fingers, “since you and Sam can’t bond to each other.”

“So I wouldn’t be bonded to Jess?” Sam asks.

“Not directly. You would still be connected to her through me, but you probably wouldn’t pick up as much, since the bond is indirect.”

That’s kind of disappointing, but it’s a lot more than he had before. “I want to do it.”

“Me too,” Jess says.

Gabriel nods. “OK then, we’ll do it.”

“Wait a sec,” Sam says. “You never answered if you want to do it.”

“I said–”

“You said if we wanted to you’d do it. But unanimous is unanimous. You have to agree to this too,” Sam says, and Jess nods.

“We’re not going to force you into anything just because we want it.”

Gabriel’s quiet for a long moment, and Sam worries he’s not going to answer, that he doesn’t want to. But finally he murmurs, “Yeah. I want to.”

It’s just then that Sam figures out something that should have been obvious. Gabriel’s not welcome in Heaven anymore; the only angel he has any contact with is Cas. And he’s not bonded, so he doesn’t have that connection either. Sam knows Gabriel was lonely for a long time, that a large part of the reason he became a Trickster in the first place was to try to make up for what he’d lost. He had to have wanted to bond with them, but kept his mouth shut until they agreed so they could make an unpressured decision.

“So how do we do it?” Jess asks.

“It’ll take awhile for me to prep everything I need.”

***

That evening Sam and Jess go into the bedroom to find it transformed.

The shades are all drawn. The bed’s been moved to the center of the room. There are candles against the walls, and after a moment Sam figures out they’re at the points of the compass. The north candle is yellow, the west is green, the south is red and the east is blue. There’s a CD player in the corner, and soft music is playing.

“Gregorian chanting? Really?”

“Shut up,” Gabriel mumbles. “It’s not easy to find analogues for this.” He’s wearing nothing but a knee-length gold silk robe with deeper gold embroidery. He shoves a bundle of cloth at Sam, and hands one to Jess. “Put this on.”

Sam shakes out the bundle to find a robe just like Gabriel’s, only red. “Why?”

“Because it’s part of the ritual. Stop asking questions!”

Sam figures Gabriel is nervous enough already, so he shuts up and sits on the bed to take his shoes off.

Jess looks at her own robe, which is turquoise. “Is there a meaning to the colors?”

Gabriel nods. “Archangels wear gold. Red is for warriors,” Sam grimaces, but doesn’t deny it. “Turquoise is for healers.”

“I’m not a healer,” Jess protests.

“Oh yes you are!” Sam and Gabriel say at the same time. Gabriel grins over at him.

“When you met me I was completely fucked up,” Sam says. “You were the one who helped me adjust to a life outside of hunting.”

“It wasn’t just me!”

Sam doesn’t bother arguing, just strips out of his clothes and puts the robe on. Jess is doing the same across the room.

When they’re both changed, Jess says, “So what do we do?”

“When angels bond they meld their Grace together. But you two don’t have Grace; you have souls, and they’re in your bodies…”

“Don’t tell me,” Jess says, rolling her eyes. “We have to have sex.”

Gabriel glares at her. “Do you know of another way to do it, Miss Expert?”

Jess holds up her hands. “I’m not complaining. It just figures, is all.”

“If it were a three-way bond we could do it all at once, but as it is it’ll have to be one at a time,” Gabriel says, then turns to Jess. “You mind if I bond with Sam first?”

She shrugs. “Go ahead. You’ve known him longer than me.”

Gabriel walks over to him and Sam swallows, suddenly nervous.

“You’re absolutely sure about this? Last chance to change your mind.”

Sam nods. “I’m sure.”

“Even though I’m not sure whether this will work? It could go horribly wrong.”

Sam spent most of his life as a hunter. He’s used to taking risks for possible gain. “Do it.”

Gabriel steps closer and mouths along his throat, muttering something Sam can’t catch. Immediately he’s overcome with…not lust, but the need to _join,_ to connect in some way he doesn’t understand.

Gabriel pushes him to sit on the bed, still muttering, the words blending with the chant from the CD player and driving him to pull Gabriel into his lap for a kiss.

The need inside him eases some at the contact, and Gabriel eases the robe off his shoulders as Sam sits up slightly so he can draw it off. Gabriel pushes him down, running his hands over his chest and Sam arches up.

He’s not turned on…at least, not like he ever has been before. Despite the fact that Gabriel’s pressed full-length against him it’s still not enough. They’re not close enough.

Then Gabriel’s pushing a slick finger into him, his lips moving against Sam’s skin, and that’s better, that’s closer to what he needs, but it’s not there yet. He arches up and moans, shoves Gabriel deeper.

Gabriel replaces the finger with two, then three, working him open as Sam tries to keep breathing, then finally pulls his fingers out and pushes in.

Sam’s hands go immediately to Gabriel’s shoulders, holding him there. Gabriel’s own hand drifts to his hip, the fingers still slick with lube.

Gabriel pulls out and shoves back in, his muttering (which Sam’s figured out by now must be Enochian) now interspersed with gasps of “ _Sam!_ ”

After only a few more minutes there’s a bright flash, and a sensation, focused on his hip, like every orgasm he’s ever had melded together, added to the relief of having a broken bone set, and he comes so hard he blacks out.

He drifts back to consciousness a minute later, to feel someone tapping his face. He’s worried…he doesn’t know why.

But when he opens his eyes to see Gabriel looking down at him and the worry melts into relief, he realizes it wasn’t _his_ emotion.

“You OK, kiddo?”

“I…yeah. Did it work?”

Gabriel concentrates for a second. “Think so.”

Sam looks down at his hip, which has a livid red brand wrapped around it. He pokes it and hisses as a needle of pain lances through him.

“It’ll probably be sensitive for awhile. Don’t fool with it.” Gabriel snaps up a glass of water, and Sam drains it gratefully.

Gabriel moves away then, but Sam can’t stop staring at the mark. It’s what he wanted, something permanent, some concrete proof of their relationship, but now he can’t help thinking that Gabriel didn’t really want this at all, that he let Sam pressure him into it.

 _Don’t be stupid!_ comes to him suddenly on a rush of annoyed fondness _Of course I wanted it._

Sam’s eyes widen. “Holy shit!”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow. “You heard that?”

“Yeah.”

“Guess the bond works then.”

“But how did you…?”

“Emotionally-charged thoughts, remember? Of course I’d pick it up.”

Sam suddenly remembers Jess, who’s hovering anxiously near the bed.

“What about you, gorgeous?” Gabriel asks. “You still want to do this?”

She nods. “Yeah. But not on the hip.”

Gabriel grins. “OK.”

He stalks over to her as Sam moves out of the way.

Gabriel pushes her down on the bed the same way he had Sam, but it’s different now. Sam can feel Gabriel’s emotions–not love, but fondness and affection and quite a bit of lust. As Jess’ eyes glaze over Sam realizes for the first time that Gabriel isn’t using a condom…but he supposes for something like this there can’t be any barriers. It’s not like any of them have any diseases anyway. He just hopes Jess doesn’t end up pregnant.

_Please. You think I’d be that careless?_

He’s gonna have to watch his thoughts more carefully from now on. Gabriel never read their minds without consent before, but from what he told them now there’s no possibility of blocking. Sam’s not sure how he feels about that; he’s lived long enough without privacy to be fanatical about it. And he can’t help but be jealous, feeling exactly how Gabriel feels about Jess.

Gabriel snorts, and Sam feels a rush of wordless love and exasperation flow into him. He relaxes a little. He’s not being replaced.

But Gabriel’s pushing into Jess now, and Sam moans, because he’s getting physical sensations too, which Gabriel never said anything about. But he’d also said that he wasn’t sure how a bond between angels and humans would work, so maybe he didn’t know.

Gabriel puts his hand on Jess’ breast, there’s a flash of light and Jess _shrieks,_ arching up against him, her nails clawing at his back.

She goes totally limp after a moment and Gabriel pulls away. She just lies there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. When she finally tries to sit up Gabriel hands her a glass of water too. She looks down at her breast and rolls her eyes. “ _Seriously?_ ”

“Hey, all you said was ‘not on the hip.’ You didn’t specify where you _did_ want it.”

Jess rolls her eyes again, but Sam can feel her amusement, dimly. _Jess?_ he tries, not sure if it will work.

She looks over at him, and after a moment the reply comes, like a voice from another room. _Sam?_

He walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. With the contact, he can read her more clearly.

When he strokes over the mark on her breast, though, she jerks away as if shocked, and he shudders. It’s not as intense as when the mark was first put in place, but it’s the same sensation.

“What was that?”

“An aberration,” Gabriel said, slightly breathlessly. “Usually you only get that if someone you’re bonded to touches the mark. But normally you don’t share physical sensations either, which we do.”

Sam walks over to Gabriel, takes his hand and puts it on his hip. Pleasure jolts through him again and Gabriel’s hand tightens reflexively.

Sam looks over at Jess and can see by the glint in her eye that she has Plans.


End file.
